This invention relates to light fixtures, and in particular to longitudinal spring clips for securing lamp shades to light fixtures.
The traditional means for securing a lamp shade to a light fixture is usually a plurality of screws spaced around the rim of the receptacle that are tightened to engage in a recess within the neck of the lamp shade. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 259,060 to Hansen; Des. 303,435 to Mason; Des. 311,247 to Sonneman: Des. 315,946 to Hollbrook; 4,531,179 to Baker, and 4,764,855 to Fretz, III et al.
While these screws serve the purpose of attaching the lamp shade to the fixture, using the screws presents numerous problems. Manipulating these small attachment screws can be difficult by itself and is worsened by the location of the light fixture which is usually secured to a ceiling location. Furthermore, when the fixture is attached to a vibrating structure, such as a ceiling fan, the screws can loosen, causing the shade to create a vibrating noise or even worse, resulting in the shade fixture falling from the fixture. Still furthermore, the unsightly appearance of the screws detracts from the light fixtures overall appearance.
Other types of lamp shade fasteners have relied on retaining collars in the shades which generally screwably attach the bases of the shades to the sockets. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,070,690 to Horn; 4,998,193 to Ching-Hui; and 5,122,942 to Lee. These types of fasteners also have similar problems to the side screws described above. They can be difficult to install and may loosen in a vibrating environment
Other attempts have focussed on using side slots in the base of the shade that must be aligned to protruding prongs on the socket. See for example: U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,313 to Lupien which shows additional problems of manipulating the prongs to the slots on an overhead fixture, where vibrations can also dislodge the prongs from the slots. Additionally, this fastener requires the lamp shade to be of a unique shape and is not adaptable to the existing lamp shade designs.
A resilient clip was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,032 to Workman which claims to adequately secure a shade to an overhead light fixture. However, the Workman clip requires four extending prongs which must grip about the exterior of the base rim of the lamp shade. The Workman clip would not work with all the different lamp shades made by various manufacturers since there exists a relatively large deviation in the size and shape of the rims in those different lamp shades. Because there is limited movement of the prongs in the Workman clip, it would be difficult to insure a secure fit for the majority of these lamp shades. Furthermore, manipulating the lamp shade base adequately to fit within the space of the four prongs in an overhead fixture would not be easy, and it requires that an exterior canopy be fitted over the prongs to insure a secure fit and to prevent the accidental release of the lamp shade.
Thus, the need exists for a solution to the above presented problems with the prior art.
The first objective of the present invention is to provide a longitudinal spring clip for securing a shade to a lamp socket and a lamp fixture.
The second object of this invention is to provide a clip that is insertable into the base of a lamp shade to secure the shade to a lamp socket
The third object of this invention is provide a clip for holding a lamp shade to a lamp socket and fixture that prevents the accidental release of the shade due to vibrations, someone accidentally hitting the fixture, earthquakes and the like.
A preferred embodiment of the spring clip connector is used for attaching a shade having an expanding portion and a narrow neck portion to a socket of a light fixture. The novel single longitudinal clip has a first concave bend between a midportion of the clip and one end, and a second concave bend between the midportion of the clip and an opposite end, wherein a midportion of the clip is located beneath the socket so that the ends of the clip insert within the shade neck and springably expand out into the interior of the expanded portion of the shade. The lamp shades can be fragile shades such as but not limited to global, funnel shapes and the like. Preferably the first bend and the second bend in the clip are each approximately one hundred twenty degrees from the midportion of the clip.
Another embodiment of the novel spring clip is similar but with a through-hole in the mid-portion of the clip for allowing the protruding stem of the fixture to extend therethrough.
A still another embodiment includes a bent hook end with novel spring clip having the through-hole.
Another embodiment of the novel spring clip has a first coil spring adjacent to the first bend for forming a first leaf wing, and a second coil spring adjacent to the second bend for forming a second leaf wing, wherein the first spring and the second spring springably expand the first leaf wing and the second leaf wing outward within the neck and interior of the shade.
Another embodiment includes a bent tab portion adjacent one interior end of the novel spring clip. The tab has a horizontal base with a first raised portion approximately 45 degrees attached to the base, and a second raised portion tip approximately 75 degrees to the first raised portion, wherein the tab prevents accidental release of the shade.
A still another further embodiment includes a sleeve having a base for slipping over the socket, the sleeve and the longitudinal clip preventing accidental release of the shade from the socket.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment which is illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.